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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chest — a box
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. rock — music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stem — to come from
  21. sharp — clever
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com